"Religion is just as important a news source today as 'any other type of information. Its breadth, its richness, its variety, its popular appeal, make religion lend itself to every phase of newspaper publicity from the simple news story to the newspaper feature."—W. Austin Brodie, Keeping Your Church in the News, p. 12.
In this story I want to discuss news writing as it differs from other forms, and get into what is actually required in putting religious and church items into proper shape for publication. Some of this may appeal to you as very elementary. Yet to get a start we may need to cover points with which many are already familiar. The unfavorable comment from newspapermen concerning the way religious copy usually comes in to them deepens within me a very great desire to keep our Seventh-day Adventist ministers from the same reputation.
The newspaper wants your material in "newspaper" style, and not in "chronological" style. This is true whether you go into the office and talk with an editor or reporter, give the story by telephone, or write it up. The point is to begin with the most important thing you have to say, adding other facts in descending order of importance. This is just the opposite of the chronological presentation, which starts with the beginning of something that has happened and records the details in the order- in which they took place.
You turn to your morning paper and read the account of a fire, for example. The number of people burned to death and the extent of the loss, given you in the first sentence, is the biggest thing you want to know. You follow down through the story, reading what took place, and finally come to the probable origin of the fire. But you may have had time to read only the first paragraph, and from that you learn the total damage of the fire, which is of most importance. Note in your reading of newspapers that this is the style in all straight news reporting. In feature writing it is different.
You may arrange chronologically the facts to be presented in your sermon before preaching it, but that same sermon, to get across the editor's desk, must be greatly condensed and rearranged so that the newspaper reader gets the most striking thing you have said in the very first paragraph of your story. In holding your audience as you stand before them on the platform, you can build up to your climax. But the readers in your newspaper audience demand knowing in the first sentence or paragraph the leading point in your theme, and the thing most important (to them) that you said. Caught by this, they will read the details and excerpts interestingly woven in to round out the story. This is just by way of illustrating the principle. We are not ready to discuss sermon reporting as such in this series.
Announcements.—Your newspaper announcements should be prepared with this same thought in mind. If a striking subject is to be featured, let it come into the lead. You may have to be very brief, as we do here in Washington, D.C., but much can be said in a few words. Last week the church editors of the three largest papers in the nation's capital, the Post, the Times-Herald, and the Star. each carried an announcement story on their regular church pages of an outdoor service to be held on the following Saturday night in a leading park in the city. This is about the way the announcement read:
"ADVENTIST SERVICES
"The series of services in Meridian Hill Park sponsored by the Adventist Society of Missionary Men of the Washington area will continue today at 8 P.M., presenting then the 'Birth of a New World,' a technicolor film featuring the prophetic story of Daniel. R. Allan Anderson, of London, and George Burnside, of New Zealand, will briefly discuss in the light of Scriptural predictions some of the present-day world problems."
Because of a heavy rain, the meeting was not held. We asked that the announcements be repeated for the following week, and this was done. The Post handled it this way :
"ADVENTISTS TO SHOW POSTPONED MOVIE
"Postponed from last week because of rain, a sound film, 'Birth of a New World,' will be shown today at 8 P.M. in Meridian Hill Park, upper level, r6th and Euclid Sts., N.W., under the auspices of the Adventist Society of Missionary Men of the Washington area. There will be hymn singing from the screen."
This is an example of placing a simple announcement where space is very limited. Work to get into it your leading attraction, speakers, and subjects.
Editors Like Advance Stories
Our denominational program has in it many things of interest that, by means of announcement, we should give the newspapers. Editors like "advance" stories. It is news when a number of churches are planning to get together for a weekend meeting. Announce every such meeting—what the occasion is, who the speakers will be, how many are expected to attend, the place, time, and subjects. Jot down these details, arrange them in order of importance, following the suggestion of giving the over-all picture in the first paragraph. The thought is not that this will add largely to your attendance, but rather to keep your community informed concerning activities of Seventh-day Adventists.
I have before me a well-written announcement story of a meeting to be held in Lincoln, Nebraska, appearing in the Lincoln Star. Whoever wrote this advance story had to get these facts : What is the purpose of the meeting ? Who are expected to attend? Where are they coming from? What is the program? Who gives the instruction?
Now, supposing you were the one with these facts in hand. Your next step would be to arrange them, decide what your lead should be, and how to give out to the public something of interest regarding such a 'meeting. Always keep your audience in mind. You must feature points of public interest in clear, simple language that people can understand. Many of them are interested in their children and youth, and what Adventists are doing will appeal to them. Note how this is handled in the following story, to which the editor gave a four-line headline : "'Do Delegates at Meeting on Child Training, College View Church." The writer chose to lead with the number of delegates and the State-wide representation. The first paragraph told what the council was, who sponsored it, when, and where. Direct quotation was effectively used in setting forth the need for such a meeting.
"More than one hundred delegates are expected to attend a State-wide child-evangelism council, conducted by the Sabbath school department of the Nebraska Conference of Seventh-day Adventist Church Thursday through Sunday at the College View Seventh-day Adventist church.
"Sabbath school division superintendents, whose responsibility involves the training of the child mind in spiritual concept, will make up the delegate list.
"'Greater emphasis needs to be stressed these days on the spiritual training of the child. Parents and teachers are much too lax on this vital point,' Elder E. E. Hagen, State secretary of the Nebraska Sabbath school department, said.
"'This is one of the major reasons for our present uvenile delinquencies. If we are to better the world of Elders L. E. Robbins, of St. Louis, Missouri, and D. E. Reiner, head of the Sabbath schools in the Central Union Conference, will have charge of the instruction period pertaining to junior and primary ages. Mrs. C. D. Striplin of the West Coast, a specialist in kindergarten and cradle-roll work, will have charge of instruction in these divisions.
"'Besides these invited instructors, there will be guests from other States who will assist in the council program,' Mr. Hagen announced. The public is invited to attend all sessions of the council."
Such an advance story should be followed, and it probably was, with a story reporting what was done at this meeting.
MOVES AND CHANGES.—Changes in church leadership call for press announcements of news interest to editors and people of the community. The person moving is usually the center of interest in such stories, so it is comparatively simple to find the lead. But to be sure to use these opportunities is the important thing, and to make the most of them in giving out information concerning the progress of our work. Here is a good example, out of many received. A six-line heading, with a picture of W. I. TJntersehr, with caption and story, announced to the readers of the Boise, Idaho, Daily Statesman that a Seventh-day Adventist pastor was going to Seattle, Washington. The story says:
"W. I. Untersehr, pastor of the Seventh-day Adventist church for the past year, has been appointed by the Washington State conference of Adventists as superintendent of the North Seattle district of churches, and will take up his duties there August 15. He will preach his farewell sermon to the Boise group July 28.
"Under Elder Untersehr's leadership a program of improvement has been carried out in Boise. The new church school was finished and paid for within the year, with an outlay of approximately $10,000.
"Recently the church at the corner of Main and Sixth streets has been redecorated with the expenditure of $1,000 for these improvements.
"While in Boise, Elder Untersehr also held two series of evangelistic meetings, one at Kuna and the other at Eagle. In Seattle he will have two assistants in his new work."
This is well done, and particularly valuable is the information given in the second paragraph regarding the growth of the local church in its school and church program.
If as a minister or worker you should feel hesitant about newspaper publicity about yourself, please take seriously this counsel by a writer on church publicity : "Religious leaders occupy in the news the same type of reader interest as do leaders in government, finance, civic affairs, and communal activities." When you appear in the news, it is not for any personal consideration, but to advance the work and influence of the church.
